Hi, I am not knowledgeable about thyroid disorders, but am hoping to get some information. A good friend of the family (22 yr. old young man) was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism, so was put on a dose of 50mcg of Levothyroxine. After a week or so, he began exhibiting symptoms of mania, delusional thinking, and paranoia. He saw the doctor who had prescribed the Levothyroxine, and told him how he was feeling. the doctor sent him to the emergency room. That night, he entered a psych hospital and has been there for 6 days.
Doctors say he has had a manic episode, and are leaning towards diagnosing him with bipolar. They're trying a couple anti-psychotic meds and plan to release him in six days.
Perhaps not coincidentally, before and including the time he was taking the Levothyroxine, he had been stressed and sleep-deprived, working 16-hour days shoveling and plowing snow, not eating well, and using a lot of coffee and chewing tobacco to try to stay awake.
What I am wondering is this: Could his manic behavior, never even hinted at previously, be a side-effect of the Levothyroxine in combination with the other factors mentioned above?
I should also mention that, for about a year and up until a year ago, he had been on 200mg of Zoloft, which, from what I understand, can push someone predisposed to bipolar into a manic episode, but he never exhibited any symptoms of mania during that time. He's never had a suicidal low either.
I hope I've explained this clearly. Thanks for any info you can provide!